The Okaloosa
County Sheriff's Office is partnering with the Destin Chamber of Commerce and
Destin City Hall to launch a car burglary prevention public awareness campaign
in the near future. In the meantime, the public needs to know now that nearly 80
percent of the car burglaries in Okaloosa County show no sign of forced entry.

Unlocked cars provide
an easy target of opportunity for car burglars, who scour both residential and
business or tourism areas alike.

There were 726
reported car burglaries countywide in 2008 and nearly 38 percent of those took
place in Destin. Another 29 percent occurred in the unincorporated Fort Walton
Beach area.

Thieves typically aim
to obtain items ranging from I-Pods,GPS devices, and cameras to of course wallets and purses. Destin
Investigator Stefan Vaughn says the common ripple effect of stolen
identification and credit cards is identity theft.

The Okaloosa County
Sheriff's Office is encouraging you to help protect your belongings by simply
locking your car, taking your keys, and hiding or removing any valuables.